1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing-facilitating kit and particularly to methods and a kit for ensuring image consistency of images printed onto a plurality of objects printed by different vendors.
2. Background
There are many instances where an organization requires consistency in the print quality of printed products, such as compact discs (e.g. CD ROMs), plastic bottles, promotional clothing, signage, or the like. It is often the case that such products are printed by different vendors (i.e. different printers) at different times and/or at different geographical locations.
A large market for such printing activities is in the printing of CD ROMs. By way of example, huge numbers of CD ROMs are printed by internet service providers (ISPs). Typically, an ISP will test market a relatively small number of CD ROMs at certain locations. They will then monitor the take-up rate from their customers. The designs incorporated onto the CD ROMs vary and the take-up rate of the ISP's services are found to vary enormously depending on the design. The most successful designs will then go into mass production. Owing to the huge number of CD ROMs required, the ISP will split the printing across multiple vendors. Although the printed CD ROMs will derive from different vendors, they must all look the same as each other and, in addition, they must look like the test-marketed discs. It has been found that variation in the designs makes an enormous difference to the take-up rate. This provides a significant technical problem for the ink manufacturers and vendors who must endeavor to obtain consistency not only of their own printed CD ROMs but consistency with the master design as well as with the products of the other vendors.
In order to obtain such consistency, ink manufacturers have used a “program” which involves sending to the vendors a precise ink formulation together with pre-printed CD ROM standards against which they check the final print result and a specification of suggested printing parameters. The vendors may then return their test print results to the ink manufacturer if the result is not satisfactory. The ink manufacturer will then assess the test print results and ascertain where the problems in the printing process may lie. Such a program has been adequate for the present line art printing methods. Line art printing methods are well known to the skilled person and involve high-contrast images made from blocks of inks. However, ISPs, as well as other organizations placing large printing orders, now require more complex designs which require process (tonal) printing techniques. However, it has become apparent that the present program for ensuring image consistency does not provide sufficient control for process printing techniques.